DAM distinguishes two types of metadata fields:

• Embedded metadata: EXIF/IPTC metadata embedded by the camera or the graphical editor software

• Custom metadata: metadata fields created in DAM to enrich assets

DAM allows the creation of simple or complex metadata structures, a.k.a. taxonomies, with each metadata field capable of supporting multiple dimensions, such as translations, currencies, distribution channels or any other variant required by your use case.

Metadata can be viewed and edited during the upload process, in bulk post-upload or individually for each asset in the asset management modal, see Manage assets.

Assets can then be searched by metadata field values and dynamic Collections created based on metadata field values.

Configuration tab

This tab contains general settings for metadata variants and upload constraints.

Asset upload

Enabling this option will prevent users from uploading assets without specifying the required metadata.

Variants

Variants enable alternative displays for the same asset attributes, e.g. language, currency, location, etc. System variants (language, regional groups...) are required for the system to run.

Custom variants can be created by users by clicking on the Add variant button:

Please note the special case for Language system variants

1. The top option will be the default language for metadata and tags

2. All language options are to be selected from a drop-down list of supported languages (Languages that are supported by AI are indicated with an AI tag)

3. The language API key is the ISO code of the language and it can't be modified

Field Mappings

This section allows the user to specify which metadata fields should be used for special system attributes and functionalities, such as licence expiration period. To add a mapping, click on the Add mapping button:

Choose the system attribute to which you want to map a metadata field, select a compliant metadata field from the drop-down menu, and press Save.

If there are no suitable metadata fields, you can click on the Create new metadata field button, which will trigger the Add metadata field modal (restricting the options of what metadata Type to create to the applicable ones).

Thereafter, all assets with that field filled will be searchable and, most importantly, can be alerted on that (expiry) date. See Notifications for how to configure them.

Embedded Metadata

Embedded metadata may contain, for example, the GPS coordinates of where the picture was taken, the author, the camera, and the lens. DAM can extract these metadata values, including ones from custom namespaces (for example, model name and product category), and map them to custom metadata. To extract embedded metadata, navigate to Settings > DAM> Automations and enable the Extract embedded metadata post process. Once enabled, DAM will extract embedded metadata from the assets upon upload and display them in the Metadata > Embeded tab of the asset management modal:

Custom-defined metadata

Users can define metadata structures, create new fields, and group them into categories. This metadata is defined per DAM project (token) and applies to all assets. If you have multiple DAM tokens, you can have various metadata taxonomies.

Define custom embedded metadata field

In this section, you can define non-standard XMP metadata fields in custom namespaces. This data is then extracted upon upload and can be mapped to DAM custom metadata

Mapping between embedded metadata and DAM metadata fields

This functionality allows you to map common XMP metadata fields from your files (their embedded metadata) to a custom metadata field in the DAM structure. The mapped field value (if existing) is being copied to the respective DAM custom metadata field upon file upload.

If you check option "Write on download", this will copy the field value from the DAM custom metadata to the respective XMP field upon file download.

This tab allows users to manage metadata through System fields and Custom fields.

System fields appear in the System metadata category, marked by a padlock icon and cannot be deleted. Custom metadata, however, is fully customizable and can be added, reordered, edited, or removed by users.

User Actions

Users can perform the following actions:

• Search fields by Name or API Key.

• Organize groups: Reorder custom metadata groups.

• Manage fields: Add, edit, or delete custom fields and groups.

Searching for fields

You can search for fields by either Name or API Key. This filter applies to both System and Custom fields.

Managing system fields

Each asset includes two essential metadata fields:

• Title

• Description

Both fields are of the "Short text" type and support regional language variants.

Managing custom fields

Adding a new group

To create a new group:

1. Click the + Add new group button.

2. The group will be added to the bottom of the custom groups list, and the screen will auto-scroll to the new group.

3. Use the ... button to rename or delete the group as needed.

4. To add fields to the group, click + Add new field.

Managing an existing group

After adding fields, use the ... button to edit or delete each field.

Reordering groups

Adding a custom field to a group:

When adding a new field:

1. Click + Add new field.

2. A modal appears with options to configure the new field, including:

   • Visibility: Toggle ON/OFF whether to show the field in the public API response header.

   • Name: The display name of the metadata field.

   • API Key: Used to store/retrieve metadata information from the backend. It auto-fills based on the Name but can be manually edited (avoid special characters).

   • Type: Defines the data type (e.g., Text, Number). Select this only when creating the field, as it cannot be changed later. For details on supported types, see the Metadata Field Types section.

   • Placeholder: Example text that guides users on what to enter in the field.

   • Info Tooltip: Optional, providing extra details on expected field values.

   • Metadata Variant: Select from available metadata variants. Note that if the field Type is "List" (single or multiple values), Metadata Variant will be disabled.

   • Required: Toggle ON/OFF if this field must be filled in for each asset. Required fields must be populated during asset upload, or DAM will explicitly prompt for completion.

3. After setting up the field, click Add to finalize it. Repeat this process for additional fields as needed, and ensure you click Save to apply all changes. Unsaved changes will be lost.

List of options

When the user chooses List (single value) or List (multiple values) type for the metadata field, they have to provide one or more list options with the following details per each:

• API key

• Option’s value

Editing a Custom field

Editing a custom field follows the same steps as adding, with the following exceptions:

• Type and Metadata Variant cannot be modified after the field is created.

Metadata field types